According to the Daily Mail, former Leicester City manager Nigel Pearson would be keen on a move to Aston Villa - but only at the end of the season.

Villa are now 12 points adrift of safety, and remain rooted to the bottom of the Premier League table after Saturday's 1-0 defeat away at Swansea City, their 21st defeat of the season and sixth in a row.

Manager Remi Garde hasn't managed to reverse Villa's fortunes since being appointed back in November, and the club are preparing for relegation to the Championship by starting a backroom clearout, with sporting director Hendrik Almstadt and chief executive Tom Fox already heading out of the club.

Now, the Daily Mail report that manager Garde is also leaving the club in the coming days, with Villa looking to appoint an experienced Championship boss who can lead the club to an immediate Premier League return.

It's stated that former Leicester boss Nigel Pearson - who won the Championship with the Foxes back in 2014 - is the frontrunner for the job, with the 52-year-old looking to get back into football following his departure from the King Power Stadium last summer.

The report suggests that Pearson is keen on the job, but isn't looking to take the role immediately, as he would prefer to wait until the summer and assess his options, with former club Middlesbrough potentially looking for a new boss, should Aitor Karanka leave this summer.

Pearson's experience in the second tier and hard-nosed style could be perfect as Villa look to rebuild this summer, and if they are willing to wait - with the aid of a caretaker until the end of the season if Garde does leave - they may just get their man this summer.

Olly Dawes

Olly is a Sports Management graduate and aspiring journalist, with most of his work surrounding football or NFL. He has formed two of his own sites, as well as contributing to a number of others before starting with Here Is The City.